


Pit stop

by Oncer993



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Guilt, NYC, Starting Over, olicity - Freeform, post Season 1 finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-19 02:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7340560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oncer993/pseuds/Oncer993
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The guilt of Tommy's death becomes too much for Oliver to bear. In the dark of the night, he packs up and prepares to say goodbye to Starling City for good. At a nearby rest stop, he meets a bubbly Blonde and strikes up a conversation.</p><p>**Kinda an AU?**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place post season 1. I also want to point out that Team Arrow only consisted of Oliver + John in this AU.

Oliver thought he was strong enough to get past burying his best friend. After everything he had been through on the island, surely he could get through this tragedy too. He had been wrong; so terribly wrong. Tommy died because he didn’t get there in time to save him. He failed him; he failed his city. Hell, he was sure Robert was looking down on him with disappointment.  No one or nothing could tell him any differently either.

This was why he packed a bag and left in the dead of night. His family managed to go on without him for five years; they could do it again. As he tossed the small bag over his shoulder, he glanced around his bedroom for the last time. He’d never come back. Oliver Queen would stay dead as far as Starling city was concerned, he vowed.

He took the stairs two at a time as he descended. He pressed on until he reached the front door. Only then did he steal a final look back.

“Goodbye,” he whispered to no one.

He swallowed the painful lump forming in his throat and left.

He had no destination in mind. He didn’t know if he’d leave the country or just the state. Getting out of Starling was his first priority. As he passed the sign ‘now leaving Starling City’ he felt lighter. Or at least he thought he would. In truth, he didn’t. His heart was still heavy with guilt. Skipping Tommy’s funeral, abandoning Thea, Laurel, Dig…

He cleared his mind of them. They were his past. After some time had gone by, he was sure he would be able to forget them. He had to; for their sakes. He was so convinced that he was bad luck on legs that even keeping memories of them would bring more darkness to their lives.

He willed his bike to take him faster; weaving through the highway lanes through the early hours of the morning. He sped past one car a little too close for their liking and they blasted their horn so he’d know it. He resisted the strong urge to flip them off as he drove on.

He was beginning to get tired. Functioning on little to no sleep wasn't foreign to him, but with the crazy last few days he had, he was more exhausted than he had thought. He peeked through the opening in his helmet at the nearest exit. It was a mile away and thankfully they had a restaurant nearby. He sighed with relief. At least he’d be off his feet for a moment and he could recharge with coffee.

He parked his motorcycle in the nearly deserted parking lot of the _Brew & Chew cafe_. He stretched his tired limbs after stepping off his bike, tucking his helmet underneath his arm and made his way inside.  

The door chimed as he entered.

“Welcome to the Brew & Chew! Why don’t you take a load off?” A wide blue eyed blonde behind the counter waved him over.

He had intended on ordering a large cup of black coffee and slinking into the back, but his legs took him forward.

“Name’s Felicity. What are you in the mood for?” She slid him a menu and clicked her pen in one fluid motion. The small notepad already open in front of her.

He pushed the menu back.

“Just coffee. Black.” He told her as he folded his hands in front of him.

“That’s it?” She raised a brow before retrieving the coffee pot and a clean mug.

She poured the hot liquid until it was full and brought it over to him.

“You know we serve food too, _right_?” She asked pointedly, tapping the menu for further emphasis.

Oliver gave her a quick nod before bringing the cup to his lips. He took a slow sip, savoring the aroma. He felt more awake already.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders and busied herself wiping down the counter top. Oliver looked around the place. It was awfully empty for a café.

“Slow morning?” He asked as he sat the mug down.

“You just missed the truckers. There’s usually a rush from about 2-4-ish? Most of them are back on the road now. We get a bit of a break until about 6 and then the breakfast crowd piles in.” Felicity explained.  

“Guess I’m lucky then.” Oliver replied as he leaned forward on his shoulders.

“No offense and my manager would kill me if he heard me say this, but you look pretty bad. Which is saying a lot because underneath the dark circles and five o’clock shadow, I bet there’s a pretty handsome guy. How long you been driving?” She asked.

Tilting her head and placing a hand on her hip as she waited for him to answer.

 _She’s interesting_ Oliver thought.

“I guess I could use a few hours of sleep.” Oliver shrugged.

“Yeah I’d say. Are you on the run or something?” Felicity laughed.

“If I was, do you think I’d stop?”

“Well yeah once you were far enough. Why not? Pull up to some café where no one knows you. I don’t watch the news so you could be an ax murderer for all I know.” Felicity rambled on.

It was distracting, Oliver noted. But in a good way. For a brief moment, he could only focus on her ridiculous theory instead of the shit he was running from.

“You’re pretty funny, you know that?” Oliver felt his lips curl into a lopsided grin.

Felicity shrugged off his compliment.

“Sorry, I know I can be sort of out there, but I have to pass these eight hours some way, right?” Her red lips formed a smile of their own.

“No it’s actually refreshing.” He told her honestly.

“Huh, no one’s ever said that before. Usually they are telling me to shut up.”

“Anyways you sure you’re not hungry? The eggs are the best you’ll ever have. The cheese is in like every bite. I swear my mouth’s taken a trip to heaven when I have them.”  She licked her lips without even realizing it.

“Know what? Sure, why the hell not?” Oliver requested a side a bacon along with his scrambled eggs.

“You won’t regret it!” Felicity winked as she went to give the cook the order.

Oliver could hear the rustle in the kitchen. Bowls being pulled out, doors opening. The place truly had been dead before he walked in.

“So where am I exactly?” Oliver asked once Felicity had returned.

“Nowhere really. It’s a little town called Rosespring. Everyone knows everyone; it’s _that_ small, but the people here are decent enough.”

The name didn’t register in Oliver’s mind. Wherever Rosespring was, he was fairly certain it was a good distance away from Starling. It didn’t really matter though, he had no plans on sticking around too long.

“I can point you in the direction of the closet Inn. Warning it’s not five stars but it’s a place to lay your head. I would strongly advice against hopping back on your bike and going too far without sleep.”

“The coffee should hold me over and these eggs you’ve sold me on.” Oliver declined.

“Yeah well it’d be a shame if you fell asleep while going 80 miles per hour on that thing. That, my friend, is an accident waiting to happen.” Felicity pointed her red pen at him.

“Thanks for your concern, but—

“Leave here and take a right. It has this cliché flashy sign out front. It’s called _The King Inn_. Can’t miss it. Thank me with a tip.” She walked away and went to get his food.

She returned with a large plate pilled with slices of crispy bacon on the side and cheesy, scrambled eggs. The true test of her recommendation would come when he took a bite. Oliver would be lying if he said the smell alone didn’t make his mouth water though.

He unwrapped the fork and picked up some eggs. He could feel Felicity watching him, eagerly anticipating his reaction.

“Go on,” She urged.

He laughed softly to himself as brought the fork towards his mouth. She was right. The eggs were pretty damn good. He mentally apologized to Raisa.

“Their not bad.” He told her after swallowing.

“Told ya.” She gave him a satisfied smirk as the door chimed.

“Here comes the breakfast crowd.” She mumbled just loud of enough so he could hear.

She smiled kindly and greeted the middle aged woman who had just entered.

Oliver quickly ate his meal and finished off his now-cold coffee. He started to stand as he took his wallet out of his pocket. Slapping a fifty-dollar bill onto the counter he began to leave.

“Hey!” The blonde with way too much energy called after him.

He turned around as his hand rested on the door.

“Take care of yourself, okay?” She nodded towards him as she began to clear the space he previously occupied.

“You too,” Oliver replied before leaving.

He started up his bike and recalled her earlier directions to the Inn. Perhaps it would do him some good to get a little sleep. He couldn’t deny that his body needed it.

After slipping on his helmet, he looked inside one last time. His eyes immediately drawn to Felicity standing behind the counter. She was now busy taking orders, which she managed to do with a smile, as the small café began to fill up. As if sensing him watching her, she looked up and their eyes met.

She lifted her hand and gave him a small wave. He gave her a quick wave back. After making sure his bag was secure, he took off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's lost phone brings him back to The Brew & Chew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to continue it (thanks for the nice comments).

People usually wake up feeling rejuvenated after a few hours of sleep, _right_? Oliver’s brain didn’t get the memo apparently.

He had found the Inn with no problem; falling asleep wasn’t an issue either surprisingly. He had been more exhausted than he thought.

As he opened his eyes, he was in post-wake bliss for only a moment before reality came crashing down. His surroundings were foreign which reminded him that he was in the process of leaving everything he had known behind. Again, only this time it was by choice.  

Sighing deeply, he rose from the bed and made his way into the small bathroom.

The water felt cool and refreshing as it pooled together in his cupped hands. He splashed his face, but the relief it provided didn’t last long. Staring back at his reflection, he was reminded of everything he was trying so desperately to forget. Tommy, Thea, his mother, the aftermath of the undertaking.

He may have been done with Starling City, but his home was far from done with him. It tightened its invisible hand around his mind, making him relive every painful memory over and over again. His only break from his misery had been a few hours ago at the diner. She had distracted him with her carefree conversation. Felicity, he recalled the name of the bubbly waitress.

A ghost of a smile formed on his face before he shut the light off and went back into the bedroom.  He patted his jean pocket for his phone. He needed to check the time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t there. He reached for his bag and rummaged through it and again came up empty handed.

“What the hell?” He huffed.

He tried to remember the last time he had it, but he couldn’t. The only other option he had was to go back to the diner and hope that it was there. It was a long shot that it’d be in the lost and found, if they even had one, but he didn’t have the luxury of going to get a new phone. He didn’t know his way around this new town and without his phone, he didn't have a GPS either. 

He grabbed his keys from the nightstand and his wallet before leaving the room. The elderly woman behind the front desk greeted him with a smile as he walked by.

“You’re not leaving so soon are you?”

“No, not yet, ma’am.” He paused to answer.

_

His mind had been so preoccupied on finding his phone that when he opened the door to the diner, he didn’t realize someone was about to walk out.

“Ow,” a woman’s voice shrieked as she ran smack dap into his solid chest.  

Oliver’s eyes widen as he reached out quickly to stop her from stumbling backwards. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He apologized.

The woman scoffed, “you don’t say?”

“Felicity?” Oliver recognized her voice. Now that he was actually looking at her, it was clear that she was the woman from earlier; his little blonde distraction.

“Do I know you?” When her eyes met his, she seemed to remember him. “Oh, it’s _you_ …”

Oliver released his hold on her elbow.

“I thought you’d be long gone.” She stepped out of the way so a family could exit. Oliver stepped off to the side as well.

“I think I left my phone behind.”

“You know a few hours have passed since you left right? I can check the back for you though. Maybe someone was nice enough and gave it to someone behind the counter.” She gave him a hopeful pat on the shoulder before walking off.

He watched as she spoke to one of the other waitresses and then disappeared in the back. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 10:08 A.M. He had managed to get almost 4 hours of sleep.

He heard the clicking of her heels so he turned his head in her direction. She shook her head, telling him that her search hadn't been successful.

“You’re welcome to look around, but no one turned it in. Someone must have taken it shortly after you left. Sorry, I don’t even remember seeing it on the counter.”

Oliver shook his head. It was no use in wasting his time looking. It wasn’t there.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just get a new one I guess. Thank you for trying.”

“No biggie. I know it’s not the same, but you can borrow mines. I’m assuming you just need to make a phone call?” She offered.

“I wanted to check the time and also figure out where I’m going I suppose.”

“Ah,”

Oliver started to leave and she followed after him.

“Wait a minute,”

He halted his steps and turned to face her.

“Did you find it on the ground or something?” He asked jokingly.

She laughed softly. “No, sorry again.” She scratched her head. “You obviously have no idea where you are and It’d bug me to think I let you leave to wander around here lost. I can give you a ride into the city. It’s really not that far from here.” She offered.

It was actually a good thirty-minute drive and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep, but she felt compelled to help him. The poor guy looked like a sad little puppy when she had returned empty handed.

“You don’t have to.” Oliver didn’t want her to go out of her way for him. 

“It’s no problem. Honestly.” She lied again. “There’s an electronic store inside the mall. I’m sure you can find a new phone you’ll like there.”

 _Why did she want to help him so badly? Why did she even care?_ Oliver wondered. He could tell that she wasn’t going to let it go easily though.

“You don’t take no for an answer do you?” He asked before he could stop himself.

She smirked and didn’t appear offended by his observation.

“I like helping people. Are we going or not?”

“Sure, thanks.” He slipped his keys in his pocket and followed her to her car.

It was a small red Nissan cube and he wondered if he’d have enough leg room. Oliver could never understand why they made such tiny cars let alone why anyone would want one.

“I’ll text Roy and tell him to keep an eye on your bike. He works here, obviously. Don’t worry.” She told him as she unlocked the doors.

“I appreciate that.” He slid into the passenger seat and was pleasantly surprised that the compact car had more room than he thought.

“Mhmm,” She replied as she checked her makeup in the mirror.

Her lipstick was merely a lip stain now and her eyeliner had also started to fade. _Why did he have to come back when she was looking so awful?_ She thought. She shook her head at herself. She didn’t know him, so why did it really matter?

 _Because he’s hot_ , another thought popped up.

“Buckle up.” She told him as she started the car.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Driving to get Oliver's phone turns out to be a rather interesting experience for both Oliver and Felicity.

Felicity merged onto the highway as Oliver looked out the window.

“You really didn’t have to do this.”

“Are we going to get into this again? We’re on the way and I’m not turning around now.” She retorted as she flicked on her left turn signal.

She worried that she might have come off a little too harsh, but well she couldn’t help it. She was tired and putting off sleep just to do this favor for him. _No,_ he didn’t ask, but still she was being helpful dammit. _He could at least pretend to appreciate the gesture_ she thought.

Oliver decided it was probably best if he just kept his mouth shut and he did until he noticed the car drifting into the next lane. The wheel was quickly jerked to the right after the car had honked their horn.

That certainly woke Felicity up. She waved nervously at the car that was already speeding past her as if they feared she’d get into their lane again.

“Sorry,” Felicity replied quickly to both to other driver and Oliver.

 _Great, he probably thinks all the stereotypes about women being bad drivers are true now_ , she thought over her rapidly beating heart.

“What the hell?” Oliver gaped at her like she had lost her mind.

“I said sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Pull over.”

“Are you crazy?” She shrieked.

“Pull over _now_.” He told her again, this time more firmly.

She rolled her eyes as she got over and pulled off to the side.

“I didn’t go _that_ far into the next lane. I was just a bit sleepy I guess, but I’m up now. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re more than a _bit_ sleepy. Why did you offer to take me if you could barely keep your eyes open?” He unbuckled his seat belt.

“Are you going to walk back?” Felicity found herself removing her seat belt too.

“No. Give me your keys.”

“What? Absolutely not.” She shook her head.

Oliver let out an exasperated sigh. _Why did she have to be so damn stubborn?_

“I’ll drive. If you can keep your eyes open long enough, you can give me the directions. Okay?” He explained to her slowly as if she were a child. She caught on to it and was about to give him a piece of her mind when the car shook as another car practically flew past them.

“Fine,” She relented and handed him her keys. But be careful with my baby,”

“Sure,” He nodded. He got out and watched her as she slowly made her way to his side. He didn’t get in until she was safely in the passenger seat, not that she was in danger of getting hit while over there. He thought it was better to be safe than sorry though.

They buckled up and Oliver merged back onto the expressway. Felicity told him which exit he’d need to take and then directions to the mall. The rest of the drive transpired without incident.

_

True to her word, Felicity didn’t drift off again. Not that it mattered now. Oliver wasn’t going to let her drive. They arrived at the mall and both of them got out.

“Come on, I’ll show you where the tech store is.” Felicity offered before he could run off and get lost.

Oliver simply nodded his head as he handed her keys over.

“Thanks,” She slipped them into her purse.

She led him to the store on the second floor. He was grateful that they had come relatively early and the mall was still pretty empty. Of course it could normally be this dead and he wouldn’t have known otherwise.

“I’ll just browse around. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.” Felicity said.

He walked towards the displays of cellphones. He didn’t care to read the specs. He didn’t need anything fancy. One of the sales people came up to him.

“Do you have a particular phone in mind?” She asked.

“Not really. I just need a replacement.”

“Oh, well let me know if you need any assistance.” She smiled at him.

Oliver had seen the look in her eyes more times than he could count. She was flirting with him and doing a poor job. Batting her lashes, the breathy giggling, it was all so immature. His younger self wouldn’t have cared and played into it for his own selfish desires. However, he wasn’t _him_ anymore. He nodded his head and paid her no further attention.

Felicity was in her own little world and she tested out various computers. She could only wish that she could save up enough money to get a _real_ PC, maybe even have one custom built. For now, her trusty tablet would do.

“Done, ready to go?” Oliver walked over to her.

“Hmm?” She said, not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her.

“I said I’m done. I have the phone.” He held it up so she could see.

“Oh. _Oh._ Yeah, let’s go.” She said with realization. “Sorry, computers are my thing. I sorta zoned out.”

 _Way to go, Felicity. Now he thinks you can’t drive **and** have no life,_ she thought to herself.

“Cool,” He replied.

“So what’d you get?” She asked.

He handed her the phone so she could inspect it. It was an iPhone; the 5C model in green.

“Nice color. Your favorite?” She commented as she handed it back.

“I guess you can say that.”

They left the mall and walked back to the car.

“Do you still insist on driving?” She asked as she searched inside her purse for her keys.

“Yup,” Oliver walked over to the driver side. She tossed him the keys so he could let them both in.

“What’s your address?” He asked as he pulled up his phone’s GPS.

“Um, why?” Felicity looked at him warily as she fastened her seat belt.

“Well I would drive us back to the diner, but I’m not sure if you’re okay to get home by yourself.”

Felicity let out an annoyed snort. “Right because I couldn’t get around _before_ you showed up.”

“That’s not what I meant. Consider it my way of looking out for you. I mean you offered to take me to get a new phone when you really didn’t have to.” He reminded her yet again. “The least I could do is to make sure you get home safely.”

He knew the request was weird. They were pretty much strangers, yet he felt oddly at ease with her. He figured she had to feel the same way if she had put up with him for this long.

“I guess you may have a point. But how are you going to get back to your bike?”

“I could always walk.”

She didn’t live that far from where she worked. If he wanted to walk, then she really wasn’t going to try to stop him. She was simply too tired and the back and forth was draining what little energy she had left.

“Okay,”

Oliver followed the GPS’s directions to Felicity’s house. She tried her best to keep her eyes open, but found herself nodding off.

_

Oliver turned off the car once they had arrived. She lived in a small white house with a porch swing out front. Something about the place gave him a warm feeling; it felt very homey.

“Felicity?” He nudged her as gently as possible.

She sighed but didn’t open her eyes.

“Felicity, we’re here. Come on, wake up.”

She made a small whine before she opened her eyes slowly. She looked mildly embarrassed as she stared back at him.

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she took her keys and got out of the car. She had almost forgotten he was there since she fell asleep.

Oliver followed her, feeling out of place. He knew he should have just told her thanks and head back, but he wanted to see that she got in okay.

Felicity walked up the three stairs to get to her front door and started to let herself in. She was a bit startled to see him standing at the bottom.

“Uh, was there something else you needed?” She asked.

“No. I…um I just wanted to say thank you and you know, make sure you made it inside.” He twitched his hand.

Thankfully she hadn’t noticed his anxious habit.

“No problem.” She felt herself relax a bit. “Are you sure you want to walk back?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Oliver nodded his head.

 _Okay, turn around now,_ he thought. His feet, however, remained glued to where he stood.

Felicity reached inside for something and he watched curiously. _Was she going for pepper spray? Was he making her that nervous?_ He wondered.

She pulled out her small notepad and a pen and scribbled something onto it. She looked unsure, but she walked over and handed it to him.

“It’s my number to call if you need anything. I know you didn’t ask for it and you probably think it's kinda forward of me. I don't even know your name.”

He couldn’t help but to smile at her. She was adorable when she rambled on.

“You can call me Jonas,” He told her. It wasn't a complete lie. It _was_ his middle name after all. He took the folded note and tucked it into his pocket. “How do you know I’ll stick around though?”

“I don’t.” She smiled back at him.

She let herself inside and waved before closing the door.

He chuckled softly to himself. He hadn’t thought about staying another day. He hadn’t thought about where he’d go at all for that matter. He decided he’d figure it out later as he pulled up his GPS and searched for _The Brew & Chew._ For now, he just needed to get back to his motorcycle. _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So maybe Oliver will stay in Rosespring for a bit. Or shall I say Jonas?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a moment of desperation, Oliver turns for Felicity for comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the progress of their relationship isn't moving too fast. I want them to bond, but I want it to feel natural.

Oliver had absolutely nothing to do. Sitting around idly was something he had grown to despise. There was always something to do. Back on the island, it had been doing whatever it took to survive. He was constantly on the move and ever vigilant.

Even when he returned home, he was never one to just sit around. He had a mission and wasted little time getting started on it. There was always another name on the list; a new person to take down. When he wasn’t hitting the streets, he was busy trying to keep up with the steady growing list of lies to protect his other life.

But being here, in the middle of nowhere, left him with too much free time. Free time meant his mind tormented him to no end and well that, that was _never_ pleasant.

“An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” The quote appeared in his mind as he lay down on the lumpy mattress.

_You left Tommy to die._

_You left Thea alone and scared._

_You abandoned the one person who had your back in the field.  
_

_You’re a failure._

_You should have died on the island._

_Robert’s sacrifice was in vain._

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to shove the horrible thoughts away. _Why couldn’t his mind be at peace? Why couldn’t he be free of his past?_

His mind was relentless; it refused to be silenced. The memory of finding Tommy’s impaled body amidst the ruins of the C.N.R.I. building surfaced in his mind. He had been too late. If only he hadn’t stopped to help the woman being mugged by some bastards taking advantage of the Glades going to hell, then he could have saved him. He could have gotten to him on time and he’d still be alive.

Tommy, his best friend, his brother. His death meant that they’d never get to truly make amends. Sure, he had confessed some things as he laid there, his life draining from him, but it didn’t soothe Oliver. It didn’t make him feel better. In fact, he felt worse because he shouldn’t have told him those things while he was at death’s door.

They should have been able to have the conversation over drinks. Maybe they would have reconciled and opened up Verdant again. Perhaps Oliver could have told him everything about those five years away.

But he’d never know _now_.

Oliver couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t be a prisoner to his own mind. He wiped the tears from his face and sat up in a sitting position. He had to _do_ something. He needed to focus on anything other than his agonizing guilt.

Working out, it always helped. The room didn’t offer much space, but he’d have to make do. He got on the ground near the bed and started to do pushups. He pushed his body harder and harder. Concentrating on his growing heartbeat, his loud pulse and the sweat dripping from his face instead of his sins. It worked. He was exhausted and his muscles ached, but it was better than going down memory lane again. _Anything_ was better than that.

He sat up, his back propped against the side of the bed trying to catch his breath. His lips lifted into a triumphant smirk. He had won this time. He hadn’t let himself be consumed. He tossed his soak shirt over his head as he rose to his feet. He needed a shower.

He secured a towel around his waist as he emerged from the bathroom. He looked through his bag and took out a black shirt and a pair of dark jeans. As he started to put his boots on, he tried to think of where he could go. He wasn’t sleepy and it was already in the late hours of the morning, just after 3 to be exact. One thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to be mind-fucked again. Not today anyways.

He reached for his keys after pulling his green hoodie over his head and left. He knew where to go and who could distract him from himself. He drove to the diner with urgency.

_

“Welcome to the Brew & Chew,”

He was greeted by someone else today. The petite red-head behind the counter wasn’t Felicity. She wasn’t who he wanted— _needed_ to see.

_Maybe she’s in the back_ , he hoped as he made his way over to the counter.

“Hi,” He said.

He caught the waitress's name on the tag she wore. Gloria it read.

“Hello,” She smiled as she handed him a menu.

“I was actually looking for someone.” He informed her.

“Oh,” She pulled the menu back towards her. “Who?”

“Felicity. Is she here?”

“I’m not allowed to tell you the whereabouts of another employee…you know for safety reasons? I’m sorry, but I’d be happy to take your order.”

He shook his head. He wasn’t hungry. Okay, that was a lie; he _could_ eat.

“A cup of coffee then?”

“Do you know when she’ll be in? You can tell me that, right?”

Gloria shook her head adamantly. She even looked a bit nervous.

“I can’t tell you that.” She whispered.

She was becoming visibly shaken up and he had no idea why. Was it that hard for her to just say no? Someone appeared from the back. Roy. Oliver recognized him when he came for his bike. He had approached him to make sure he was the actual owner and not some guy who tried to run off with it.

He had an air of caution and distrust about him, but he didn’t give him any trouble.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, taking in the worried look on Gloria’s face.

“Yes, Roy. I’m sorry. I’m still getting the hang of things.”

Roy turned his attention to Oliver. “You’ll have to excuse her. It’s her first day on the floor.” He said after a moment of tense silence.

“She’s doing fine.” Oliver replied, giving Gloria a warm smile. “I was actually looking for Felicity.”

“She’s off today.” Roy told him simply.

Gloria looked at him with panic. “Should you be telling him that?” She immediately regretted saying that out loud in front of him; Oliver really didn't care. Roy responded with a shrug. “She knows him, sorta.”

Gloria didn’t look convinced, but she nodded her head anyways.

“Well thanks. I’ll get out of your hair.” Oliver started to walk away.

As he was starting up his bike, he felt a vibration against his upper thigh. He reached for his phone to see a text message from Felicity. He had texted her his number earlier so she could have it too.

_**You’re looking for me? Everything okay?** _

_**I didn’t know u where off today. Sry.** _

_**No worries. Did you need anything?** _

_**No** _

_**You sure?...** _

Oliver chuckled at her concern. He cut off his bike and dialed her number.

_Would calling be too awkward?_ It was too late now; the phone was ringing.

“Hello,”

“Hi,”

“So no emergency then?”

_Only internally_ , Oliver thought. “No, I guess I just wanted someone to talk to. You’re the only person I know here so…” he let his sentence trail off.

“At 3 in the morning?”

“Sorry. You’re probably sleeping.” Oliver instantly regretted calling her. Was his mind so screwed up that he couldn’t think rationally?

Felicity’s laugh on the other end put him at ease. She wasn't bothered by the call in the least bit. “I was up. If I wasn’t off, I’d be at work anyways so don’t worry. I can talk.”

He didn't really know what to say. He had hope she'd lead the conversation; she seemed like the type. Obviously he wasn’t going to dump his problems onto her; a stranger; a kind stranger who he felt at ease with, but a stranger none the less.

“Um…what are you doing?” He asked lamely.

“Watching Netflix.”

“What’s that?”

“You’ve never heard of it? You’re shitting me right?”

“I shit you not.” He replied. He was feeling better already. 

“Okay, wow…that’s seriously a crime. Who _hasn’t_ heard of Netflix? Did you live under a rock before you came here?”

If by rock she meant being stuck on an island for five years and then spending his first year home in a secret bunker then sure. He had lived under a rock.

“I guess I’m a bit behind.”

“You can watch from your phone. It’s free. To download it at least, you’ll have to pay for the actual service but it’s worth it.”

“I’ll add it to my list of things to do.”

“It should be number one, just saying. Thank me later.”

“Right…right.” He nodded his head although she couldn’t see it.

“I get that this is a small town, but is it always so boring? Is there really nothing to do?”

“Well, it’s not boring when it’s all you know.” Felicity pointed out. “Or maybe we’re just too boring ourselves to notice what we’re missing out on.”

“I’m sure that’s not it.” Oliver replied quickly, hoping he hadn’t offended her.

“There is a carnival coming up. It’s probably the most exciting thing you’ll find here. It’s not so bad though. I actually quite like it.”

Oliver had never been to a carnival before. His childhood consisted of Prep school, piano lessons and family vacations during the summer. When he had turned 18, he was free to do whatever he wanted. Like going to the club and partying instead of studying while he was in college.

“Are you going?”

“I never miss it. You should come since you’re dying of boredom. The rides will be pretty lame, but the food makes up for it.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Well if you need a local to show you around, I’m your girl. Not your _girl_ -girl…but you know. I’d be happy to help.”

“I look forward to it then.”

“Great.”

“Good…”

“Are we trying to one-up one another now?” She laughed.

“No, have a good night Felicity.”

“You too, Jonas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bit about Oliver stopping to help someone on the way to get to Tommy was taken from the Arrow comic book (Volume 2). I also apologize for Oliver's guilt trips. I'm trying to stay true to who he really was during that time though :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity began to second guess themselves as they head to the carnival. Is it just their worries getting to them or something else?

Oliver had agreed to meet Felicity at 7. It was now 6:45. He should have left by now, but the closer the time got, the more he began to dread it. He was getting dangerously close to forming a friendship of some kind with her. Was that the smartest thing to do, for her, for him?

_

Felicity glanced down at her phone. It was twenty minutes after 7 and there was still no sign of Jonas or his motorcycle. She couldn’t help but to fear that he was standing her up.

 _Guys like him don’t hang out with girls like you, Lis_ she thought as she kicked at a pebble on the ground.

Even in this small town, she had never had many friends. No one wanted to hang out with the girl who was too smart for her own good and talked entirely too much. She was a teacher’s pet, an outcast. Why had she thought her luck would change?

“I should just go home…” she mumbled under her breath.

More people were starting to show up and she didn’t want to continue to stand at the entrance like a lonely fool.

_

Oliver arrived just in time to see Felicity walking back to her car.

“Shit,” he swore as he quickly undid his helmet to catch up with her before she could take off.

“Hey wait!” He called, slowing down his jog as he reached her car.

Felicity’s hand hovered above the car door as she turned around to face him.

_He had come after all._

“Sorry I had to get some gas and got turned around.” He hoped she brought the lie.

“You could have let me know you’d be late.” She couldn’t let him off _that_ easily.

“Wasn’t thinking. You weren’t leaving were you?”

“Um no,” she shook her head. “I was just going to sit in my car but I guess I don’t have to now.”

“You still have to show me around remember?” He smiled a little.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him, no longer feeling upset with him or herself for getting her hopes up and pulled him towards the entrance.

Olive took in his surroundings as he walked ahead. Everything was bright and colorful, almost nauseatingly. Kids were already running around anxious to get on all the rides while their parents chased after them. It smelled like popcorn too he noticed.

“Tonight should be interesting.” He whispered to himself as he followed Felicity to a booth.

“Alright so most of the rides are catered to kids, but the games can be fun. Sometimes I even win something. Nothing big, but last year I got a keychain. Personally I think they make the games hard to win on purpose, but you know whatever. Want to give it a shot?”

“You mean do I want to waste my money?” He laughed as he looked down at her.

“Maybe you’ll have some beginners luck.” She shrugged.

“Need a demonstration?” The older gentleman with thinning hair asked as he began to gather some darts in his hand.

Oliver thought it looked self-explanatory so he shook his head no.

“How much?” He asked as he reached for his wallet in his back pocket.

“$5 per round.”

He didn’t have anything smaller so he handed the other man a twenty dollar bill.

“So just pop ‘em right?” Oliver asked as he took his change and 4 darts.

“Yup,”

“Good luck,” Felicity said in a sing-song voice as she glanced up at him.

Oliver took a step back, eying his potential targets in front of him. He narrowed his eyes on a yellow balloon in the center. Lips pressed together tightly, brows set in determination, he fired the dart.

Felicity’s eyes followed it as it actually pierced through the balloon and caused it to pop.

“What does he get for that?” She couldn’t help but to ask. “Surely getting it on the first try guarantees him a pretty sweet prize.”

“Let’s see if he can do it again.”

Oliver rolled his shoulders as he prepared to throw another dart. This time it bounced back from the smooth surface of the balloon.

“Try the blue one. It seems a bit plumper.” Felicity pointed out.

He nodded his head and tried for that one. She was right, it popped. She couldn’t help but to let out a small squeal of delight. If she had been throwing, she would have been lucky to hit one _after_ losing about $30.

Oliver let the last dart go and it again popped a balloon.

“3 out of 4, not bad. Not bad at all.” The carny smiled although it did bother him that he wasn’t able to get more money out of him.

“Take your pick, anything from the middle on down.” He yanked his thumb to the right.

Oliver didn’t want any of the so called prizes.

“Why don’t you pick something?” He asked Felicity.

“Me? But you did all the hard work.”

“I insist.”

“Well when you put it that way,” She eyed the various stuffed animals hanging along the wall. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the cutest panda and just knew she had to have it. She pointed towards the kawaii styled bear.

“Thanks,” She tucked it under her arms as they went to find a new game.

“You did pretty good.”

“You sound like you’re surprised.”

“I am. Normally you’d have to spend way more than $5 just to get some crappy prize. Let’s see how long your luck lasts.”

They played a few more games and walked away with very few losses. Although the claw machine did have the upper hand on him for a while. He was determined, no matter how much it cost, to pull something from the damn thing though.

He walked with the Chucky doll in his hands as if it were a trophy. He had tried to give it to Felicity, but that was one prize she declined. The movies had given her enough nightmares as a kid so there was no way in hell she was taking that home.

“Okay now it’s time for the _real_ treat. Funnel cakes!” Felicity nodded towards the never-empty line.

“What will you have?” The teen girl asked once they made it up front at last.

“Two funnel cakes. One with lots of powdered sugar, seriously don’t be shy with it, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. What do you want on yours?”

“I’ll just take a little powdered sugar on mines.” Oliver replied.

He wasn’t a big fan of overly sweet things.

“Thanks,” He tucked the doll under one arm and grabbed for both plates.

“I can carry mines you know.” Felicity pointed out.

She wasn’t used to people being so nice to her, especially a guy. It was an added bonus that he happened to be good looking.

“I doubt you have room.”

He had a point. Felicity had a stuffed monkey wrapped around her neck. The panda in her arms. A hand full of little trinkets in her purse, heart shaped sunglasses resting on top of her head and a tie-die shirt in her other hand.

“I could make room.”

“It’s fine.” He shook his head at her.

They spotted a free picnic table and claimed it before someone else could.

“So are these things really good?” He asked.

“Is the sky blue? Is the sun yellow?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You should take it as a _hell_ yes. They are heavenly.” She replied with dead seriousness.

Oliver looked down at his plate trying to decide the best method of attack so he wouldn’t get covered in powdered sugar. Felicity didn’t bother trying to be cute. She ripped a large corner of the dessert off and popped it into her mouth.

Delicious, just as she remembered. She didn’t eat a lot of sweets despite her love for them. So whenever she indulged she went all the way in.

Oliver watched her with a smile. She seemed so carefree and happy, especially now that she had her funnel cake. She had been hinting at it all evening. He shrugged his shoulders and broke a piece off before biting it hesitantly.

“Well?” Felicity was now looking at him, awaiting his reaction.

“It’s not half bad.” He answered honestly. They might have put too much sugar on it for his liking, but he could live with it.

“So my recommendations are two for two now.” Felicity smirked, feeling proud of herself.

“Mhmm,”

“Wet wipe?” She offered once they had finished. He took one and wiped his hands down.

“You got a little something on your face.” Oliver pointed out.

Felicity lifted her hand and swiped at her mouth with her napkin. She had only smudged the chocolate further though. Oliver chuckled as he took the napkin away from her and cleaned it up.

She had held her breath as if she were afraid to breathe on him.

“There,” He said softly as he pulled his hand away, locking eyes with her for a moment.

“Thanks,” She could feel her cheeks warm up as she looked away.

 _Get a hold of yourself; you’re not in high school anymore_ she chastised herself.

“I’ll throw this away.” She cleared her throat as she gathered up their plates and other bits of trash.

Oliver thought the blush spreading across her cheeks just made her look even cuter, adorable even. Somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice warned him he was getting too close again. He sighed angrily, mentally telling it to shut the hell up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to break the carnival chapter up into two chapters. This one isn't as focused on the games because let's face it, Oliver isn't going to lose. I hope I added enough details for your liking though :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion to their night at the carnival.

Felicity noticed that things were growing quieter. Lines were shorter and the concession areas had begun shutting down for the night. It wouldn’t be long before someone announced they’d be closing. She couldn't believe that the time had flown by so quickly. 

She checked the time on her phone as she started back for the table. _10:39 P.M._

“They’ll be closing soon,” She told Oliver (Jonas) as she swung her leg over the seat to sit down.

“Already?”

“Mhmm, I guess I hadn’t realized it was getting late.”

“Me either,”

“We can stay until they completely shut down or leave I guess.” Felicity said although she wasn’t ready to go. The smart thing to do would be to go home and catch at least an hour of rest before she had to go to work. But she wasn’t ready to say goodbye, not yet.

Oliver hadn’t wanted to part ways either. Funny thing was neither of them could bring themselves to say it. Felicity fiddled with the strap of her purse. Oliver watched her, stealing a glance while she was unaware.

He didn’t know how many girls could rock glasses, shades on their head with a monkey wrapped around their neck and not look like a complete fool. She did though. She somehow made it look cute without looking like a nerd.

“So…found anything entertaining to do yet?” She caught him off guard by asking the question.

“Hmm?” He hadn’t heard what she said.

She repeated her question.

“Oh, I’ve been working out in my room. The space is pretty small but I make do.”

“Funny, you don’t strike me as a meat head.”

He raised a brow in confusion and laughed a bit, “A _what_?”

“You know one of those super buff guys who live in the gym and are always bragging about it.” She rolled her eyes. “If you ask me, I say they’re hooked on steroids and are probably overcompensating for _other_ things anyways.”

Hey eyes grew wide after when she realized what she had just said.

“Just forget I said that last part,” she sighed.

“So that’s what you think about all guys who like to stay in shape?”

“No, no of course not. Just the ones who act like it’s their life. It’s just unsettling.”

“Fair enough,” He smirked.

“Anyways, where are you from?” She asked, desperate to change the subject.

Oliver hadn’t expected her to ask him that.

“Central city.” He lied.

“Really? What’d you do there?”

Oliver was starting to get uncomfortable the more she began to dig. For someone with so many secrets, he was pretty horrible with lies.

“I was in the protection business.”

“Huh?”

“You know…like security.”

“Oh. Makes sense why you like to work out then. Gotta be prepared for anything I’d imagine. I bet that was an interesting job though. Why’d you leave?” She had propped her head in her hand.

“Hey folks, we’ll be closing for the night!”

_Thank God,_ Oliver thought feeling relieved.

Oliver began to stand up, picking the Chucky doll and Felicity’s panda up. She followed suit. She still hadn’t wanted to go. They had just started talking.

“I’m not quite ready to go home yet.” She said softly, rubbing the stuffed monkey’s furry arm.

“Me either,” Oliver replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

He may not have liked answering personal questions, but it hadn’t made being around her any less enjoyable.

“We could sit in my car?” She suggested, hoping the idea didn’t sound strange to him.

“Alright,” He followed her to her car and slid into the passenger side after she unlocked it.

Felicity pulled the monkey’s joined arms over her head and placed it in the back seat along with her purse and Miss Panda. She didn’t offer to take Oliver’s doll. The thing was still frightening to her.

“So why did you leave Central city?”

Much to his dismay, she hadn’t forgotten.

“It was a pretty stressful job.” He exhaled deeply.

It wasn’t just taking out people on his father’s list. John had convinced him to help out the police even though Lance hated his guts. 

His constant web of lies, his mother's lies, the close calls for both him and those closest to him, it was never an easy thing to do, yet he never quit. After he had lost Tommy though, he hadn’t felt worthy of wearing the hood again. How could he be? He had let his best friend down.

“Looks like it…” Felicity noticed the look on his face. It was as if he had gone somewhere else mentally and she began to regret having asked the question. “Sorry I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s alright.” He whispered.

“It was all too much then, it’s why you left?” She assumed.

“You could say that.”

Felicity settled back against her seat, looking at her Barbie pink steering wheel cover instead of the man sitting beside her.

“Could I ask you something?” Oliver asked in a hushed tone. He had no reason to whisper; it was only the two of them.

A slow smile crept on her face. At least he had the decency to ask unlike her. “After my digging into your life, how could I say no?”

“Aren’t people in small towns dying to get away?”

“Sometimes, yeah. Are you trying to ask me why am I still here?”

He nodded his head.

“I used to say that. If you had asked 8 year old me, she’d have said I would have left this place and never looked back.” She started to look out the window at the darkening sky. The parking lot was pretty deserted with the exception of another car or two.

“What’s keeping you here then?” Oliver asked with genuine curiosity.

The answer was on the tip of her tongue, but the words refused to come out. She closed her eyes for a moment, grateful that she was turned away from him.

“I guess I changed my mind.” She shrugged her right shoulder, finally opened her eyes again and looked back in his direction.

He was already looking her way. He knew there was something she wasn’t saying. _What secrets did she have? What was haunting her?_

“This is what it feels like to be in the hot seat huh?” An emotionless chuckle slipped from her mouth.

He could tell she was putting up a wall, trying to shield her vulnerability from his eyes but he saw through it.

_Deflect, change the subject_ , her mind shouted at her and she was all too happy to oblige.

“It’s late. I should try to catch a little sleep before I go in for my shift.” She reached for the key dangling from the ignition switch, leaving no room for him to argue.

“Alright,” He said at last. “But you should know something before I go.”

“What is it?”

“The morning I came here I was in a really bad place.” -- _Still am_ he added silently _,_ “Talking to you helped. I just thought you should know.”

“How?”

“By being you I guess.” He gave her a half-smile.

He really couldn’t give her a better answer than that. He couldn’t explain how engaging in a conversation with a stranger had allowed him an escape from his guilt ridden mind. He was constantly mystified by how free he felt whenever he was in her presence.

“Thank you,” She said softly.

With a final nod of his head, he left her car and headed back towards his bike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so Oliver isn't the only one with secrets. She will let him in in the upcoming chapters and they'll be able to bond over it. Not saying anything else though. *zips lips*


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some trouble at The Brew & Chew.

Felicity took a deep breath before heading inside of _The Brew & Chew_. She managed to get two hours of sleep before she had to leave out again. It gave her a short burst of energy but did little for elevate her mood.

She couldn’t let it show though. Rolling her lips together once, hoping her red lipstick wasn’t out of place, she pulled the door open and greeted the patrons with a bright smile.

“Morning,”

Some nods were directed her way, a few tired smiles too. After clocking in, she jumped right into her shift.

_

A familiar face strolled in and took his usual spot at the counter in front of her.

“Nice cap,” She nodded towards the black baseball cap he wore backwards.

“Thanks,” Oliver replied as he reached for a menu.

“I think I’ll try the French toast today and a coffee.”

“Let me guess, no sugar or syrup right?”

“You read my mind.” He smirked as he handed her the menu.

She gave him a playful smile in return and went to put his order in.

He was happy to see that she appeared to be feeling better. Maybe he had been wrong all along. Perhaps he had mistaken her tiredness for sadness.

She went to tend to a few other tables leaving him alone for the most part until his food was ready.

“Hey I’m a bit busy until I get off,” She apologized as she placed his French toast and coffee in front of him.

“You’re working _remember_? It’s not your job to just pay attention to me.”

“I know, but…well you’re right.” With that, she went to refill someone’s coffee.

He went on eating his food, thankful that the French toast wasn’t overly sweet like the funnel cake had been. He was near his last bite when he heard some commotion behind him.

His curiosity getting the best of him, he spun around in the stool.

“Thanks Doll,” One of the truckers said to her after she had topped off his coffee.

“You’re welcome.” She forced herself to smile although she hated being called demeaning nicknames like that. It was unfortunately common though.

“You know it’s our first time stopping here.”

“Oh is it?” She pretended to care. “I do hope you’re enjoying the food.”

“We are. We’re enjoying your hospitality too.”

Felicity didn’t like the sleazy look he gave her.

“Do you want some more coffee too?” She asked his friend who was thankfully less creepy than him.

“Nah I’m good.” He shook his head.

“Well you both enjoy your meal and have a good morning.” She was about to head back to check on another table, when she felt a hand holding her back.

“Did you need something else?” She asked as she pulled away.

The sleaze looked her up from head to toe, probably undressing her with his disgusting eyes.

“Felicity is it? That’s a cute name, baby.” His eyes flashed to her chest where he name tag rested.

“Thanks. If that’ll be all then I have other customers to attend to.”

“I’m not done. Why don’t you give me your number?”

 _I’d rather die_ , she thought. She decided it was best to say nothing. Either he’d get the hint or he wouldn’t, she didn’t care.

“Hey, girl, I’m not done talking to you.” This time Mr. Sleaze grabbed her tighter and she wasn’t able to jerk her hand out of his grip.

“Get your hands off of me!” She tried to pry his fingers away but they wouldn't budge.

Oliver had seen enough. He knew he should have walked over the first time he put his hands on her.

“Is there a problem?”

Sleaze and his friend jerked their heads in Oliver’s direction, sizing him up. Felicity looked over at him with relief.

“Let her go. Now.” Oliver told him simply, eying his hand still wrapped around Felicity’s wrist.

“What’s it to ya?” He shot at him after releasing her.

“I think you should go.” Felicity told them.

“I’m not done eating.” The friend said.

“I think you are.” Oliver picked up his mug and proceeded to dump the hot liquid over both their plates.

“You’re going to regret that.” Sleaze shot up from his seat. Felicity thankfully stepped out of the way before he could push her back as he tried to swing at Oliver. He caught it and twisted the man's arm. He yelped in pain but Oliver wasn't going to let him off that easily. He sent his own fist flying into the man's face, continuing to hit him until the guy's friend promised they'd leave and never come back.

"You had better not." He threatened as he finally let him go, pushing him back into his friend's arms.

"Sure thing." The friend nervously replied. "Sorry for the trouble." He ushered his awful friend to the door and back to their truck. Oliver watched them go, trying to get his breathing under control before looking at Felicity again.

By now the customers were watching intently but he didn't care.

“You okay?” He asked as gently as he could. She looked up at him with glossy eyes. He hoped that he hadn't frightened her. He prayed that she didn't think any less of him.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” She lied.

“Smoak.” Her manager called her name.

She looked behind her to see the heavy set man waving her over and Gloria standing by his side. The girl gave her an apologetic smile, hoping she wasn't angry at her for bringing him out.

“I have to go.” She whispered to Oliver. He nodded his head as he watched her follow them into the back area out of his view.

He took out his wallet and dropped a few bills on the counter top for himself and the two douche bags before leaving.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Felicity's boss. Oliver reflects on what took place at the diner.

Felicity knew that Gloria had meant well; really she did. It didn’t make her any less upset with her though. Grayson would have found out sooner or later and she should have been the one to tell him. Not the new girl who was either really scared of losing her job or just trying to kiss ass, perhaps both.

“Sorry,” Gloria whispered as Felicity brushed past her to follow Grayson into his almost-too-small-to-breathe-in office in the back.

“Shut the door,” He pointed towards it before taking a seat. He dragged one of his large hands over his face before placing it palm down on his desk. “So Gloria tells me there was some kind of altercation out there,”

“Yes. Sort of.” Felicity began to nervously play with her nails in her lap. “One of the guys was being a jerk, calling me names and getting handsy with me. I should have handled it. I should have just told him to leave but guys do that all the times. Truckers especially so I thought if I just smiled and played it off he’d get the message. He was a bit more aggressive than I thought and well one of the other customers stepped in.”

She left out the fact that she had known Jonas. She didn’t see the importance of that.

“Stepped in,” Grayson repeated it like it was an understatement. “Smoak did you see the other man’s face? He looked pretty messed up.”

 _He deserved it and then some_ , she thought.

“You should have come to me before it escalated or just walked away.”

“I _was_ walking away. He grabbed me. Did you want me to just yell and hope you heard me all the way back here?” She didn’t care if she was getting smart with her superior. He hadn’t even asked if she was okay considering the fact that the guy harassed her.

He sighed and gave her a stern look. “We can’t just have people fighting like that. We want our customers to come back. This guy who stepped in, Gloria says he’s a friend of yours?”

_Of course she did. Fucking Gloria…_

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends _exactly_. He’s new and I’ve been showing him around. I’m sure he would have intervened had any of the other waitresses been in that situation.”

“Hmm, well they didn’t threaten to call the cops so I guess it’s not a big deal. Truckers bring in the most money though Smoak. You understand right? We don’t need them giving us a bad rep. Stay behind the counter from now on. If any of the tables need something then let Gloria handle it; she could use the experience anyway. And a piece of advice for this friend of yours, tell him if he wants to continue to eat here he’ll mind his business and let us handle it.”

He finished what he had to say and nodded his head towards the door, telling her their conversation was over. Felicity slowly got out of her seat because of the cramped space and she was trying to calm herself down. She was tempted to tell him to fuck himself but she needed the job. She held her tongue and proceeded to leave his office.

Still she couldn’t believe the nerve of him. He never asked if she was okay. He never showed any concern about her protection or safety. He was only worried about what customers might think and losing money.

“Prick,” She mumbled as she removed her apron and gathered her things from the small employee locker room. Roy was back there, buttoning up his shirt preparing to start his shift.

“Hey,” He greeted her. “I heard something happened. You okay?” He looked over at her with concern written all over his face.

“I’m fine Roy. Thank you for asking though. It’s nice to know someone cares.” Her tone was harsher than she intended. Roy didn’t deserve that.

“You sure?”

She gave him the most reassuring smile she could muster before leaving. She knew he had questions but she was just too frustrated to answer them. She made a mental note to text him later.

“See you later, Felicity,” Gloria called as she was making her way towards the door.

She wanted nothing more to flip the other woman off but she managed to compose herself. She continued forward as if she hadn’t heard her at all.

_

Oliver had looked for the duo after leaving the diner. He even thought about going after them on his bike, but they were nowhere in sight. They weren’t worth getting lost over either. As he drove back to the Inn, his mind replayed what had just happened not too long ago.

...

_His blood boiled as he watched the other man’s hand reach out and grab Felicity. His greedy, possessive paws holding her in place as if she were his property. He didn’t need to listen to what he was saying to her because his eyes spoke volumes. The look was one he had often worn long ago. Back when he was someone he never wanted to be again, his embarrassing younger self who thought it was some sort of game to bring different women to bed with him._

_His fist curled at his side but he continued to watch, not yet wanting to go over there. Perhaps the bastard would get the hint and just leave her alone. He didn’t. He had grabbed her once more and before Oliver could even blink, he stalked over there._

_“Is there a problem?” He asked through gritted teeth, eyes darting between both men at the table, quietly analyzing them._

_He had tightened his hold on Felicity as if he was testing him, maybe he was. That only angered Oliver more though so he told him to let her go. It was a fair warning. One that if he didn’t heed, there’d be hell to pay._

_Thankfully he seemed to have some working brain cells left and he let her go. He should have just left. He should have listened to Felicity, but he and his friend had thought they could continue to eat their meal in peace. Like hell they could._

_Something snapped in Oliver as he saw the man hurl his fist towards him. Stopping him took practically no effort. But he wasn’t going to go easy on him. Not after he had dared to touch Felicity. He continued to punch him, hit after hit, until he felt an arm trying to pull him away. It was the idiot’s friend and he started to go after him too but he could see the fear in his eyes._

_He promised they’d leave and never come back so Oliver decided to give them one last chance. He allowed him to gather the pathetic excuse of a man that laid back against the table like the coward he was. His clothing stained with food, coffee and blood._

_He had finally turned to face Felicity. Her expression was hard to read. She was afraid but he wasn’t sure of whom. He prayed it wasn’t him. He didn’t want her to see him like that; like some monster. He didn’t get the chance to ask because she had to go._

_He watched her go reluctantly._

...

He tossed his cap down onto the chair by the door. It landed with a soft thud before tumbling onto the floor but he made no effort to pick it up. He walked over to the unmade bed and fell back against it.

He hadn’t laid there long before he heard a notification go off on his phone. He sighed as he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled the device out.

**-Thank you again. I’m not in trouble or anything, just sorta pissed off. I’ll tell you about it later. Too tired/exhausted to get into that right now.**

**\- Need ice cream, a hot shower and my bed. Not in that order and not that you really need to know. Sorry, bye.**

A smile crept on his face as he read her messages. He hadn’t scared her away after all. And she somehow managed to babble via text too.

**U never have to thank me**

He replied and then slipped his phone onto the nightstand. His eyes closed and maybe because he was exhausted as well, he was able to drift back off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, we're nearing the end. I never intended for this to be very long if I expanded it from the initial one shot. And I will talk about Felicity's back story soon, just trying to figure out the best time to do so. Thanks for all your lovely comments and just taking the time to read this. I never, ever, thought I'd get such awesome feedback like this.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity feels compelled to help Jonas (Oliver).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm starting to set Felicity's story up as well as her finding out about Oliver's past (as much as he's willing to share anyways).

Felicity was surprised when she received a phone call from Grayson one afternoon. He had informed her that her schedule would be changed temporarily. Instead of working from 2 AM-10 AM, she was now working from 12 PM-8 PM. Because of this unexpected switch, she hadn’t seen Oliver(Jonas) in a few days. She had tried to call him one day after work but because she barely got any sleep the night before she had fallen asleep on the phone. She was so embarrassed, hoping she hadn’t said anything crazy or actually snored, when she woke up and realized what happened, but felt better after reading his ‘goodnight’ text.

He didn’t mind. He understood that it would take some time before she was adjusted to her new sleep routine. He had found a gym in the city that he had begun to frequent in his free time. It allowed him to stay occupied and it was a lot better than working out in the small room he had in the inn. Sometimes he’d even stop by a nearby restaurant before heading back to Rosespring. Slowly but surely, he was getting settled into this new life.

All of that changed when he got a phone call from an unknown number. He had dialed it enough times to know who it belonged to though, John Diggle.

His first thought was to ignore it. He’d get the message and stop calling or so he hoped. He should have known better though. John was persistent if nothing else.

On the 6th call, he answered it.

“Oliver? Oliver, tell me you’re there.”

“What do you want John?” Oliver sat up.

He could hear the other man sigh on the other end. He sounded relieved. _Had he been looking for him all this time?_

“Where are you?”

“Safe,” Oliver answered in a clipped tone. “How’d you get this number?”

“Lyla got one of her Argus connects to help me. Where the hell are you man?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Oliver asked. If Argus had found out his new number then it shouldn’t have been hard to track down his location. Were they tracking the call right now? Would John actually do that to him? “Don’t try to find me John. I’ll be gone before you can get here.” He bluffed.

“We haven’t been able to get your exact location yet. I don’t want to hunt you down like some sort of criminal on the run, man, but what about your family? Thea, Moira, remember them?”

Oliver’s heart ached at the mere mention of their names. As if he could ever forget either of them.

“Moira’s awaiting trial. No one knows what’s going to happen. Her lawyer is hopeful, but she has blood on her hands. A lot of it…”

“You don’t need to tell _me_ that.” He had blood on his hands too even if he wasn’t directly responsible for what happened in the Glades. He hadn’t stopped both bombs from going off in time so therefore it was on him or at least that’s what he told himself.

“I know. Thea’s been staying with Walter but he’s worried about her. She doesn’t eat, he thinks she may be using again…I–when are you coming back?” John sounded wearier the more he talked. Oliver hadn’t thought about the toll his departure left on everyone. He couldn’t allow himself to because if he had then he’d never have left.

While they were all going through hell, he was here in peace at least somewhat.

“I’m not coming back John. Ever.”

“That’s not an option, Oliver. Your family needs you. Your city needs you. What about your promise to your father, huh? You’re throwing it away?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t you _dare_ do that John. I risked my life day in and day out trying to make that city a better place, trying to atone for _his_ sins. Do you know how stressful that was? Lying to everyone, living two lives, and in the end what did it matter? Malcolm leveled the Glades. Tommy…he’s gone and I failed, John. I failed!” Oliver jumped to his feet and clutched the phone tighter. His heart beating rapidly against his chest as a mixture of rage and guilt coursed through his body.

“I didn’t mean it like that. Shit, I’m sorry. But you can’t just run away. You can’t abandon the fight now because you’re down. That’s not how war works.”

“I’m not a solider _remember_ John? I have no idea how war works. I’m just in over my head.” He tossed his words back at him.

He had said it when he found out about his secret identity. When he asked him to join him in his fight but at the time he wanted nothing to do with it or him.

John was silent. He hadn’t expected that. “Oliver I was wrong then. Fighting alongside you, well it was no different than fighting side by side with the guys I served with. Oli—

“Don’t call this number again.” He told him. Oliver hung up the phone and turned it off before sending It flying across the room.

He let out a scream of agony as he kicked at the mattress, pushing it halfway onto the floor. He needed to hit something or someone. He needed to get his mind off of his guilt before it drove him crazy.

“Damn you, John!” He cursed as angry tears formed in his eyes. He was just beginning to think that maybe there was hope for him. Maybe he could have a new life and put everything behind him. But no, his past was always there. Lurking in the shadows ready to drag him back. He was never going to be free.

_

Deciding that it was safer to drown his sorrows in alcohol, he found a small corner store in town. He grabbed whatever had the highest percentage of alcohol in it and left. He didn’t even acknowledge Roy when he said spoke to him.

“Hey man,” He nodded when he recognized him. Oliver(Jonas) turned in his direction, looking at him directly but looking right through him at the same time. Wordlessly, he continued ahead and got on his bike after placing the bottles into his backpack.

Roy was thrown off by the cold look in his eyes. He hadn’t known the guy, but he knew Felicity did. _Had something happened?_ He wondered.

As he paid for his gas, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with the other man. He couldn’t just leave it alone no matter how much he wanted to. He decided to text Felicity, telling her that he ran into him and he looked like he had some serious shit on his mind. She would handle it or at least talk to him, Roy figured as he started his car and left.

_

Felicity hadn’t experienced a shift that horrible since her first week on the job. She was stuck behind the counter and when asked for something she had to call another server over like she didn’t know what she was doing. People gave her confused stares and annoyed glances. Somehow she had survived until the end.

Now that she was off, she wanted nothing more than to lie in her bed curled up under the covers and sleep until her alarm went off the next morning. The thought perked her spirits up a bit.

“Shower here I come and then bed,” she whispered to herself as she headed towards her car.

Just when she allowed herself to feel a little joy, she saw the text from Roy. Her little ball of optimism had disappeared as quickly as it had been formed. Her dilemma now was did she try to help Jonas or selfishly ignore the text and go home?

“Roy?”

“Felicity, hey,”

“So how bad did he look?” Felicity spoke into the microphone of her headphones as she put her car into drive.

“Well…the first time I saw the guy he looked guarded.”

“The same could be said about you from strangers, just saying.” Felicity pointed out.

It was true. Roy regarded everyone with caution. Felicity had seen through the act; she recognized that behind his heavily protected walls was just a guy who made a few mistakes. He wasn’t hopeless though. Grayson had given him a chance when he hired him and the two became friends.

“Yeah yeah, either way he looked like crap. He tried to hide it, but I saw his eyes. He’s in a bad way, Lis; like _you_ were before. Maybe you can get through to him? It seems like you two already have some sort of connection.”

Felicity couldn’t shut her eyes at the memory his words dredged up since she was driving, but she took a deep breath. Was Roy seeing something that she wasn’t? Was there indeed a connection or was she trying to fix him because of her own demons? She didn’t know. All she knew was she wasn’t going to let Jonas go through this alone. She refused to make that same mistake twice.

“I’ll talk to you later, Roy.” Felicity bid her friend goodbye and let the call end, but not before Roy told her to be careful.

_

Felicity sat in her car after arriving at _The King's Inn_ staring at the entrance. She hadn’t thought her plan through. For starters, she didn’t know his room number or his last name. She couldn’t even ask since her calls went straight to voicemail.

“You’ll figure something out, Lis,” she whispered words of encouragement to herself as she got out of the car.

She was grateful to find that the lobby area was empty except for Aaron, who had a crush on her, behind the desk. She hated that she was going to use that weakness to get some information out of him, but she _had_ to; she didn’t feel like she had any other choice.

“Felicity, what are you doing here?” He asked. He was happy to see her though. His wide smile gave it away.

“Aaron, how are you?” She asked, walking towards the desk.

“A little bored. We don’t get much traffic here except for the families coming in to crash for the night. Did you just get off?” He nodded his head towards her uniform. In her haste to get to Jonas, she didn’t even think about changing beforehand. If only she had some food and could pretend to be making a delivery.

“Yes,” She forced herself to let out a flirty giggle. “I was in a bit of a rush.”

“Oh. You’re meeting someone?” The smile on his face fell and he sounded every bit of crestfallen.

“No, no it’s nothing like _that_. Well, actually yes, but it’s _not_ what you’re thinking.”

Aaron frowned and shook his head. “I’m not following you here.” He told her with a raised brow.

“I’m meeting my cousin. He’s been staying here but because of my busy schedule I just haven’t had time to come by before. I needed to make time I realized so here I am trying to surprise him.”

Felicity watched his face hoping that he fell for her made up story. She couldn’t tell though not until he actually spoke.

“Is he coming down here?”

“I was hoping to go up actually, but I don’t know his room number. Maybe you can just look him up for me?” She asked with a smile on her face, trying her hardest to give him puppy dog eyes.

“I don’t think I can do that Felicity. I can’t just give out people’s information.”

“I’m not a stranger, Aaron. You know me and he’s family.” Felicity continued to push her lie.

“I know. It’s not personal. You know that, but I don’t want to get caught.”

“Who’s going to tell? Not me. It can be our little secret.”

God, she was beginning to hate herself. Aaron didn’t deserved to have his emotions toyed with like this. Why was she willing to do this for someone she hardly knew anyways? Why did she feel so attached to Jonas? She couldn’t answer her own questions. She just knew she couldn’t leave without knowing he was safe.  

Aaron smiled shyly before nodding his head. “What’s his name?”

“Jonas.”

 _Please don’t ask for a last name_ she thought.

He began pressing at the keyboard and scanning his eyes over the screen.

“Nobody named Jonas.” He told her.

 _What?_ Her ears couldn’t believe what he had just said.

“Impossible. Check again?”

“Felicity there is no one here by that name. Maybe your cousin went somewhere else or he left already?”

“No he wouldn’t leave without telling me.” She whispered. _He’d tell her bye wouldn’t he?_ She worried. She was worth a goodbye at the very least.

“Felicity?” Aaron looked at her with concern; concern that she didn’t deserve from him. Maybe it was karma for using him.

“I’ll call him.” Felicity pushed away from the desk and reached for her phone in her purse. She knew it’d be pointless since he hadn’t answered her earlier.

“Do you know when he checked in? I could probably go on that.” Aaron said from behind her.

A hopeful smile played on her lips. “It won’t get you in trouble will it?” She asked, still feeling guilty about using him.

“Nah, no one will know.” He winked at her.

She gave him a rough estimate of the time Jonas had been there, just a little over three weeks now. He conducted his search while Felicity crossed her fingers and toes hoping this one would be a success.

“A guy checked in around that time. Didn’t leave a name though…huh, I wonder how he was able to get a room.”

“What’s the room number?” Felicity asked before he could go on with useless details.

Aaron gave her the number and she thanked him before heading towards the staircase.

Felicity didn’t have time to think about the shadiness surrounding Jonas’s identity. She couldn’t ponder who he really was because she was afraid of finding out the truth. She found the room door with ease but hesitated to knock.

_What would she find on the other side?_

_

Drowning his problems with alcohol hadn’t worked out as well as Oliver had hoped. Thanks to his early twenties, it took a lot of alcohol to get him intoxicated and the one bottle he finished off just didn’t cut it. It tasted more like cheap beer and juice if anything. He hadn’t even bothered to touch the second one.

He still felt miserable. He still felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into despair with no way out. How could he continue to live like this?

He had never given much thought about his future before. When he was younger he just wanted to have fun. During his special version of hell for five years, he was lucky to have survived another day. Coming back hadn’t changed that mindset since he was constantly risking his life. Perhaps the truth was he didn’t see a future. Maybe he had thought he’d just die in the line of fire and was prepared for it.

Someone on the other side of his door gave a few soft knocks, pulling him away from his mind.

He turned his heard towards it slowly, wondering just who could be out there.

 

_**To be continued** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes it's a cliffy. No it's not fair but the next update will be very emotional or at least that's the plan. I just feel it should stand alone so I simply cut it off here. Don't hate me too much!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finds out that he's not the only one with a troubled past.

_Had John found him?_ He thought.

He pressed his ear against the door but heard nothing. He yanked the door open and prepared to deal with his friend in whichever way it would come down to.

“John I told you no—

“No John here, just me.” Felicity gave him a small smile as she looked back at his confused face.

He was too thrown off to even form a thought in that moment. He just stood there, one hand holding the door while his mouth hung open slightly in shock. Felicity stepped forward and he stepped out of the way in response.

“Did you find whatever answers you were looking for in that bottle?” She turned away from it to look back at him as he was shutting the door.

“I’ll take that as a no.” She stated when he hadn’t answered her. “Jonas what’s going on?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Roy said he ran into you.”

“And?”

“ _And_ that you looked like…well you look just as horrible as the day you came into _The Brew & Chew_. Probably worse considering you’ve been drinking.”

“I’m not drunk.” He argued.

“Never said you were. Is there anything you want to talk about?” She asked as she took a seat on the foot of the bed.

“You wasted your time coming here. You should just go.”

He was getting defensive she noted. He hadn’t stepped away from the door and it looked like he truly wanted her to leave. Unfortunately for him, she could be pretty stubborn when she wanted to be.

“I don’t think you mean that.” She said softly and hoped he could see that she just wanted to help. “I apologize for just showing up. I tried to call but you weren’t answering. I just…I don’t even know why I’m here myself, but I’m here.”

“And now you should leave.” He shook his head.

He didn’t want her here. He didn’t want her to get any closer than he already had allowed her to.

“Jonas, you—

“I said go.” He told her more firmly this time.

He didn’t want to taint her too. He needed her to see that this was for her own good.

“This isn’t you, Jonas. It just can’t be. Did something happen? Are you okay?” She thought about standing but decided against it.

He clenched his jaw at her deviance. Why did she want to stay?

“How the hell would you know?” He asked in a cold voice. One that had never been directed at her before. She wasn’t sure how to take it at first. Was he trying to scare her away? “You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve done; what I’m capable of doing.”

He had a point; a very valid point. She had seen a totally different side of him when he confronted the douchebag at the diner. She would be lying if she said the terrifying look he gave them hadn’t scared her. She’d also be lying if she said she wasn’t afraid right now. She wasn’t too afraid that she’d be willing to go though. Not when he was silently crying out for help.

“I think I know you well enough.”

He scoffed as he shook his head at her.

“You don’t know me at all.”

“I know that you’re running from something. Not the law, not someone but something. Something that probably keeps you up at night. Something that constantly haunts you; that drove you to come here. But you’re realizing that no matter where you go, you can’t outrun it. You can’t shake whatever is bothering you.”  She looked him in the eyes despite the loud beating of her heart against her chest and the small voice warning her that maybe she was in over her head here.  

He stared back at her with piercing eyes and a set jaw. He refused to allow her to see that she may be on to something; that she was seeing through his bullshit and calling him out on it.

“What would _you_ know about any of that? You’ve been in this small town all of your life. What’s the worse thing that’s ever happened to you?” He practically hissed at her.

It was a low blow. He had no right to assume her life was perfect especially considering how he had grown up. He was lavished with everything he asked for and never had to worry about anything until he got on the Gambit. But before that, it was him who lived in a protective bubble of privilege and security.

Her eyes dropped to the floor and he hated himself for thinking of it as a small victory for him.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips but she never lifted her eyes from her downward gaze. She just continued to look down and nervously tugged at the edge of her shirt.

“You think I know nothing of suffering. Do you remember when you asked why I was still here? Why I never left?”

“Yeah,” He recalled although he wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

“I wasn’t born here. Originally we lived in Vegas, my parents and me. I was so happy there. I had friends, like real friends and my parents loved each other. Or so I had thought. It just changed though, suddenly they started fighting more. He didn’t come home some nights and my mother would cry herself to sleep. It went on like that for a while until he left. Everything happened so fast and I was so confused, but the next thing I knew, we were moving here and starting over. She never told me why; I never saw my father again.” She exhaled deeply; trying to prepare herself to continue.

“Eventually it was okay I guess. I didn’t quite fit in here no matter how hard I tried, but my mom was there for me. She managed to always make me feel better. She was my best friend…she taught me how to be strong.” A small smile appeared on her face as she thought about Donna.

“Anyways things changed when I turned 16. I had always been ahead of the other kids and even skipped a few grades. There was this guy I met during my senior year, Cooper. We got close and started dating. My mother freaked when she found out. I don’t know why. She may have been upset about the fact that he was two years older than me or that I spent less time at home with her and more time with him. I think she thought she was losing me; the one person she had left.

I didn’t care enough to think about it then. I just knew that Cooper made me happy and whenever I was at home, all I ever seemed to do was fight with her. So I spent even less time there. I got accepted into M.I.T.; Cooper did too and well shit hit the fan when it came time for me to leave. Her chest rose again as she exhaled, the painful memory was starting to appear as she told the story to Oliver (Jonas).

_Felicity was instantly filled with dread as she heard the door to her bedroom open behind her. She knew it was her mother even before she spoke._

_“Are you almost finished packing? You know I can drive you if you want.”_

_“I’m riding with Cooper, Mom. I told you that already remember?” Felicity hoped her tone came out even. She didn’t want to argue with her mother; not again. They had done it enough lately._

_“Oh,” Donna said crestfallen as she stepped further inside the room._

_“I just can’t believe you’re leaving. You’re actually leaving…”_

_“Yes. You’ll be fine mom.”_

_“You’re still so young, baby. Maybe it’d be better if you just wait another year at least? You could get a job and—_

_“And stay here, right? Mom we’ve talked about this a million times. Don’t you want me to be happy?” Felicity raised her voice as she zipped up her luggage. She just couldn’t bite her tongue anymore._

_“That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’d do anything to keep a smile on your face baby girl. You know that. I just want to make sure that this is what you want. Cooper didn’t persuade you to get an apartment with him, did he?”_

_“I’m capable of making my own decisions.”_

_“I know, I know. Sometimes we don’t know we’re being manipulated until it’s too late though. I don’t want that to happen with you.”_

_“It won’t.” Felicity insisted as she checked her phone. Cooper had just sent her a text telling her he was outside._

_“Your father was good at that…manipulating me. I don’t want you to make the same mistake is all. You understand, right?” Donna asked her desperately._

_“I do mom, but I’m not you and Cooper isn’t dad. Why can’t you see that? Why don’t you understand that he makes me happy and that this is all what I want; not Cooper but me. If you really cared about my happiness, then you’d just let me go.” Felicity snapped at her mother as she reached for a box._

_“I just hope this is truly what you want. I would hate to think that you’re leaving because of some boy.”_

_“Do you really think I’m that stupid, that desperate?!”_

_Cooper blew the horn._

_“I have to go.” She muttered as she started to leave, taking her belongings with her._

_Donna closed her mouth as she watched Felicity and Cooper take her things from her room. She didn’t say anything until she was preparing to leave for good._

_“I guess this is where we say goodbye.” She sadly joked._

_“Yes, for now. I’ll be back before you know it, mom…” Felicity shook her head at her. She was still annoyed at the woman, but she loved her and would truly miss her. “Come here,”_

_“Just don’t forget about me. Don’t abandon me too.” Donna whispered as she hugged her daughter tightly._

_“You just had to ruin the moment, didn’t you mom? You couldn’t just let me leave on a happy note.” Felicity scoffed as she pulled away from her mother’s arms. Donna looked back at her, glossy eyed and shocked._

_“You know maybe dad left because he just couldn’t deal with you. You’re just so clingy, mom. It’s like you don’t want me to have a life if it doesn’t revolve around you.” Felicity grabbed her purse and left without another word. No goodbye. No I love you._

“I didn’t even tell her I loved her. I never meant to say any of that to her. I never wanted to hurt her, honestly, but I did. I’m a horrible daughter.”

She shook her head as tears began to well up in her eyes. She cried harder and harder. Oliver couldn’t take seeing her look so distraught so he walked over to her. He knelt down beside her and pulled her down into his arms, holding her and telling her it’d be alright.

“You can still talk to her. You can apologize.” He whispered as he rubbed her back.

He felt her shake her head as she cried, telling him no.

“Why not?”

“Sh—s—she’s dead.”

Oliver felt his heart break for her upon hearing the words. _Dead?_ He wanted to ask how. He wanted to know more but he wouldn’t make her relive that. He just held her closer hoping to bring her some sort of comfort before she suddenly shoved away from him.

“I didn’t know she was battling depression for years.” She told him through tears. “She had always appeared fine. She smiled and she was so good at cheering people up…” She wiped a hand over her wet face.

“You don’t have to say anything else.” Oliver placed a warm hand over hers.

“I do.” She shook her head. “She was coming to visit me. She had left early so she could get there before it got too late. No one knew she had taken a hand full of pills before getting behind the wheel. She was on the highway. The driver said she tried to get out of the way but he couldn’t slow down. He was tired and had drifted off…she never had a chance.” She closed her eyes as another wave of tears hit her.

“I killed her. She was only on the road because of me!” She screamed out.

Oliver had never seen someone so broken in his life and he wondered how she had kept it together for as long as she had. She seemed so happy but it was all an act; a mask.

“You can’t beat yourself up over this.” He told her gently. He wanted to reach out for her again but was afraid she’d just push him away.

“I deserve it. She would still be here if it weren’t for me.”

“You can’t allow yourself to think that way. You just can’t.” He sighed.

He realized that they had more in common than he could have ever imagined. They were both broken spirits who acted as though they weren’t falling apart inside.

“Come here,” He couldn’t take watching her try to console herself by rubbing her own hands along her arm as she rocked her body back and forth.

“I got you,” He assured her as he took her in his arms once again. “I got you.” He repeated over and over.

He didn’t care about his own pain; his own tragedy he still hadn’t dealt with. In that moment it just didn’t matter.

He kept her in his arms until her cries turned to soft whimpers. Until she stopped shaking and her body calmed down. She was exhausted and whether she wanted to or not, she had cried herself to sleep. He rose to his feet, carrying her with him and laid her softly on his bed.

He looked at her now dry face and her puffy eyes.

He tossed his head back and glanced up at the ceiling. He didn’t know what to do. How could he help her when he was already so far gone himself? Where did they go from here? He asked himself quietly.

He ran a tired hand through his cropped hair as he walked over to the chair near the door. He’d sleep in it tonight _if_ he was able to sleep after all this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for killing off Donna. I like her character, really I do, but this Felicity has a really rough past. She has learned to wear a mask of sorts just like Oliver.
> 
> And sorry that Oliver is kinda being a jerk in the beginning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end. There will be an epilogue though :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe me if I said that when I started writing this, I didn't plan on it being the end?

 

Felicity’s eyelids felt sore as she began to wake up. Slowly, she peeled her eyes open and the dimly lit room came into focus around her.

An old nightstand with a few dents in its wooden frame and the lamp that sat on top of it was the first thing she saw. Blinking, she turned her head further to the left to where Jonas (Oliver) was standing. He had been drying his hair near the dresser but stopped when he saw that she was awake.

“Morning,” He greeted her.

“Morning,”

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew all about last night. Her driving over here, her break down and everything in between but she didn’t want to think about that. Her mind was simply too tired.

“There’s an extra wash cloth and toothbrush in the bathroom.”

 _Thank God_ , Felicity thought. She could only imagine how she must have looked in that moment.

“Thank you.” She nodded as she began to sit up.

Her uniform was wrinkled now and her glasses found their way onto the nightstand somehow. She assumed Jonas put them there. She reached for them as she headed towards the small bathroom.

She shut the door behind her and locked it before she turned the faucets on. Avoiding the washcloth for the time being, she cupped some water into her hands and ran the water over her face. She had purposely adjusted it so that it was cool.

It felt refreshing over her skin which was something she welcomed.

“Ah,” she sighed softly to herself.

Peering closer to the mirror, she observed her reflection. The top of her lids were slightly pink and just a tad swollen. They felt sore to the touch but it wasn’t too painful. Other than that and her tousled hair, she looked okay. She picked up the washcloth and properly washed her face and then brushed her teeth before she returned to Jonas’s (Oliver’s) bedroom.

_

He had made the bed while she was in the bathroom. He was picking up his discarded phone when he heard the door opening behind him.

She gave him a small smile as she slid into the chair.

“How are you feeling?”

She shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve had better mornings but then again I’ve had worse too.”

He nodded his head in understanding before taking a seat on the bed. He rubbed his palms together as he tried to think about what to say next. Should he confide in her about his past now?

“How long…how long has she been gone?” He asked softly.

She exhaled as she looked across the room to meet his eyes. “Almost 4 years now.”

“So you finished school?”

“No. I thought about it but I didn’t think I could go on really. When she died I took the semester off. Cooper and I drifted apart too but none of it mattered. School, the relationship…I’d trade all of that just to have her back.” She said as she looked down at her hands.

It was a nervous habit she had; she either looked at them or played around with her fingers. When she was younger she had a horrible nail biting habit.

“I sold the house. It killed me to stay there and constantly be reminded of her. Then I brought my place. The porch swing sold me; she’d always tell me about the one at her house growing up. I think we had one back in Vegas but I can’t remember. Eventually after a few months, I started working at the diner and that’s just been my life ever since.”

“Sounds-

“Boring?”

“I was going to say difficult actually.”

“Nearly impossible at first,” she nodded.

He understood all too well. When he returned from the island he felt so disconnected. He had changed but no one knew that or at least that’s how they acted. They thought because he was back so was the old him but that wasn’t the case. The old him had been tortured, had to learn to kill and whatever else it took to make it back home alive.

He couldn’t have been his old self if he wanted to, but he tried. For his family and loved ones, he tried as best he could to be the person they had lost. Living that lie was harder than wearing the hood any day.

“There’s a lot of things I haven’t told you.” He confessed.

“I figured as much. You don’t have to tell me, you know? What happened last night wasn’t to force you to share anything.”

She didn’t want him to feel obligated to open up. His personal life was just that, personal.

“I want to though.” He said, surprising her. “I really do. I just don’t know where to start.”

He sighed. What could he share without scaring her? Without making her look at him like he was a monster? And then there was the fact that he had already lied to her about so much.

“The beginning is a great place.” She laughed softly. Despite what happened just last night, here she was trying to laugh, trying to be strong.

He couldn’t help but to smile at her strength.

“I suppose you’re right.” He agreed. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts together.

“Well,” He leaned forward a bit, resting his elbows on his thighs. “I lost someone too before I came here. His name was Tommy. The guy was my best friend for as long as I can remember; the brother I never had but always wanted. About 6 years ago, I was gone for a while, another long story…anyways I came back last year. My family and friends had all but buried me and moved on with their lives, so when I finally returned, I don’t know, it was like they expected me to just fall into place again.

They expected me to just be me, but I couldn’t. I had experienced way too much. I changed. In some ways for the better some for the worst—

“Wait, sorry, not trying to cut you off. You were gone for five years? That story sounds familiar.”

“I thought you didn’t watch the news.”

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t hear things here and there. Can’t remember the guy’s name but, wait…are you telling me that’s _you_? You’re the guy?” Felicity asked as she tried to recall bits and pieces of what she had overheard.

“Depends on what you heard.” Oliver replied cautiously.

“Stranded on an island after the family’s boat, ship? Something like that went down…he returned a year ago. _You_ returned a year ago.” She pointed a finger towards him. “Oh my God.”

“Never saw a picture?” Oliver couldn’t help but to ask.

“No, I really don’t watch the news if I can help it and I just hear things working at the diner. I don’t have time to stop and look at the newspaper or magazine with them. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about your friend, your dad.”

Felicity could feel her heart breaking all over again but not for herself, for Jonas. Oliver felt slightly relieved because he didn’t have to tell her about the island now. He should probably tell her his name though.

“Thank you. And it’s Oliver by the way. My _real_ name is Oliver. I didn’t mean to lie to you about it. I didn’t plan on staying…”

“Oliver, yeah that sounds familiar.” She nodded her head. “I can’t really be angry with you. I imagine you get asked a lot of questions about well everything.”

“Yes,”

“No hard feelings then. I probably would have done the same thing.”

He was glad he no longer had to go by his middle name. He was grateful for her understanding.

“What the media didn’t say was what I had gone through on the island…it was called Lian Yu; Mandarin for purgatory. It was hell. The island broke me in a way; _no_ it just plain broke me. I did things I never thought I would just to make it through another day.”

“We don’t have to talk about that.” Felicity assured him. It must have been hard to constantly think about it and everyone around you not being about to let it go because of their own curiosity or nosiness.

She experienced that after coming back to bury her mother. Everyone wanted to talk about it; everyone wanted to know what happened when she was trying to just hold it all together.

“People can be so inconsiderate. They just don’t seem to get that you don’t want to talk about it; that you just want to _forget_.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to talk about her. She was supposed to be listening.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized.

Unbeknownst to her, Oliver had made his way over to where she was. When she opened her eyes again she saw him crouched down in front of her, eyes looking over her with concern.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked.

“Are _you_ okay?”

“No,” He answered truthfully. “But I think we can be okay…eventually.”

“I hope you’re right.” Felicity reached over and wrapped her hand around his.

He looked down at her small hand holding onto his larger one. It was comforting.

“Tommy died because I couldn’t save him. If only I had been a few minutes earlier…I couldn’t deal with losing him and thinking I’d failed everyone else too so I left. I thought they’d be better off without me.”

“And now?” Felicity asked. She was unaware of the circumstances of Tommy’s death but she didn’t want to pry.

“And now I just don’t know. It’s like I’m stuck in limbo.”

“I thought everyone was actually going to be okay after a while. For once I allowed myself to think I could be happy…”

“Funny I thought the same thing.”

“What changed?” Oliver asked.

“Some guy rode into town.” She laughed.

“Really?” He couldn’t bring himself to smile, but hearing her laugh did brighten up his spirits just a bit. “You want to know what changed for me?”

She nodded his head and waited for his answer.

“A girl at this diner. She talked a lot but…but she was just adorable.”

Felicity frowned. “I’m not a little girl anymore…I’m not adorable.”

“You look adorable when you frown too.” Oliver teased.

Felicity smacked his chest playfully after she pulled her hand away from his. “Seriously, don’t call me adorable.”

“Fine,” He held up his hand in mock surrender. Felicity smirked, feeling happy that she had won. Oliver wasn’t quite finished though. He surprised her when he pulled her down so that she was in front of him.

She wasn’t sure what he was about to do, but he didn’t really give her any time to think about it. Before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

It wasn’t a passionate kiss fueled by lust and desire. He had pressed his lips against hers in a gentle manner and pulled away slowly.

Her eyes opened but she was at a loss for words. She had _not_ expected that.

“We’re going to be okay.” He whispered before pressing his forehead against hers.

She smiled, closing her eyes again and just embracing the intimate moment.

“How do you know?”

“Cause we’ll figure this out together.”

Oliver wasn’t used to being the optimistic one. That had been John’s role. He was always the one who needed to be talked down from the ledge. Yet here he was trying to pull Felicity out of the hole she was falling into.

Their shared tragedies only tightened the invisible connection that they didn't know they had. But because they stopped trying to mask their pain and actually confided in one another, it didn’t seem so heavy anymore. It no longer felt impossible to get over. The journey would be hard, but for once neither of them felt completely alone in their pain.

They had found something in each other that they’d lost long ago, hope. Hope that they'd get through this together. Hope that their happiness wouldn't just be a dream but reality, _their_ reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Felicity' says that the guy who rode into town changed her, I don't mean it in a bad way. Oliver was a break in her normal life. She had went on the past 3, nearly 4 years, acting as if things were fine. She came home from M.I.T. and hit a rough patch after burying her mother but one day she just stopped. One day, she decided she had to move on with her life only she couldn't. She could only pretend to. Seeing Oliver go through his pain and trying to hide it reminded her that she wasn't okay either. 
> 
> Felicity represented a light in his darkness (Yup I'm stealing that from the show!). He was lost when he crossed paths with her. She was just herself and he found that refreshing. After spending more time with her and in the town, he began to think "Okay I can do this. I can be happy. I can start over". John's call threw him off because although he was away from Starling and it's troubles, it was still with him. 
> 
> So he found himself going backwards, being weighed down by his guilt and not knowing what to do next. Felicity showed up at that low moment and when she saw that he wasn't going to open up, she shared her own history. In doing so, he realized that she understood his pain.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, giving kudos and bookmarking this story. As I've said before, this was only supposed to be a one shot but thanks to your awesome feedback, it turned into a short fanfic. Thank you again and I hope you enjoyed it! It's been fun to write.

After a much needed heart-to-heart, or as close as Oliver could get with opening up, they decided it’d be best to start anew. Not in Starling City or in Rosespring where they were both haunted by their pasts. They needed a completely clean slate so they could live the lives they wanted; free of guilt, free of nightmares, free of pain.

For Oliver, he wasn’t sure exactly what he’d do but he had learned to adapt a long time ago. He’d figure it out. Felicity knew she wanted to go back to school. All that was left for them to do now was to decide where their new home would be.

Sitting in front of them, on Felicity’s coffee table, was her laptop. It was loaded up with an enlarged map of the U.S., staring almost teasingly back at them.

Felicity chewed on the inside of her bottom lip as she looked over at Oliver. He had done far more traveling than she did, but he suggested she should be the one to pick something.

“I can pick anywhere?” She asked once again.

Oliver nodded calmly. “Anywhere is fine with me.”

Unlike before, the thought of moving in with a girl didn’t frighten him. Of course the only other time he considered living with someone other than his family was when he was dating Laurel. He had loved her but thinking back on it, after everything that had happened, he knew he had never been _in_ love with her. At least not in the way she was with him, not in the way she had deserved. If he had, he wouldn’t have cheated on her multiple times or lied to her constantly. He had tried to repair things when he came back last year but it was just as toxic as it had been all those years before. Only this time she hadn’t easily forgiven him, with good reason of course. It’s not like he could have had a life with her anyways. Being the Arrow didn’t allow for him to have a real life.

He had tried his best to lead the double life though. In the end, it only hurt him and those closest to him. It was why he knew he could never go back. He had sacrificed everything before and it cost him too much. He wouldn’t do that again. He _couldn’t_.

Felicity had wrestled with what to do next more than him, but she admitted that her current solution hadn’t worked. She had only tricked herself into thinking it had. Her mother was gone and no matter where she went in the world, it wouldn’t change that.

So after her breakdown in Oliver’s room and their conversation a week ago, she suggested they just leave for good. She had said it before she could think about it. She expected a negative reaction at first. I mean they weren’t even dating, not in the traditional sense anyways and she had all but said ‘hey, let’s run away together’.

In response, he opened his mouth, closed it, titled his head and smiled at her. Then he just said ‘sure’. One word. He said one _little_ word in the most sincere way possible.

“Seriously, I could live just about anywhere after the Island.” Oliver shrugged before lying back against the sofa.

She frowned in response. Felicity didn’t like how nonchalant he sounded when referencing that horrible place. After what little he had shared with her and the snippet of information online, she knew his time on the island wasn’t anything pleasant.

“But you should be somewhere you’ll actually like, Jonas.”

She hadn’t started calling him Oliver even though she now knew his real name. Oliver didn’t try to correct her.

“And I _will_ like it. Isn’t there some place you’ve always wanted to go?”

She thought on it again. No place stood out in her mind. She didn’t want to return to Vegas although her memories of her old home were vague. Florida sounded nice in theory but she didn’t like the heat.

“What about New York, ever been there?” He asked, hoping to help her decide.

“No.”

“It’s busy. The city never sleeps but it’s also something enchanting about the city too. Everyone you cross paths with has some kind of dream they're pursing it seems. It’s a place of opportunity, of hope…sounds like something we could use.”

The corner of her lips lifted into a slow, thoughtful smile. “You have a point. Isn’t it like crazy expensive though?”

“My family has some property there.”

“I have the feeling your family has property everywhere.” She joked before picking up the laptop and typing away.

“What are you doing?” He asked curiously as he looked at the screen.

“We’re going to need tickets right?”

“You’re okay with New York?”

“Mhmm.” She nodded her head.

“Are you sure, I was just trying to-

“To help, I know and you did. It might be too late for me to get into N.Y.I.T, but maybe I could just find a job in the meantime. I mean they need waitresses everywhere right?”

She worked fast; Oliver realized. In just a few minutes she had booked their flight and had narrowed down her school choices.

“Money shouldn’t be an issue, you know, don’t let tuition stop you.” He told her while she was still browsing the site.

“Oh I won’t. I probably can’t get a full ride like with M.I.T. but there are loans. Not that I’m jumping up and down to get into debt but you know…I’ll get a job, a _real_ one, and pay them off.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Jonas, if you think I’m a girl who takes handouts, then you still have a lot to learn about me.” She turned her head to look over at him.

His expression was a mixture of pride and amusement. He smirked. “You’re stubborn you know that?”

“So are you.” She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly.

He reached over and began tickling her. She tried to push him away as she tried to breathe in between her fits of laughter, but he was relentless. He wouldn’t ease up until she kissed him. His fingers stopped ticking her sides and rested on her waist. They hadn’t shared many intimate moments. Oliver, out of respect for her and not wanting to rush things. He did that too many times in the past to count and he refused to mess things up with Felicity.

Felicity wasn’t ready to go too far with him either. Fear, lack of experience and just trying to guard her heart. She had only dated Cooper and because she didn’t want to get her heart broken again, amongst other reasons, she had decided dating wasn’t for her.

They both realized that they weren’t just another guy/girl to one another. They were exceptions to a lot of their unspoken rules.

His eyes asked was she sure and she nodded in response, as if she had read his mind. He brought his lips down to hers and she opened hers in anticipation. Gently, he guided her back until her head was resting on the arm of the sofa. He leaned over her, deepening the kiss but still managing some self-control.

When their lips parted, he looked down at her adoringly. Her own facial expression mirroring his.

“We’ll be fine,” He told her, kissing her softly on the nose.

“I know.”

_

Three days before they were due to leave, Felicity returned from her outing with Roy to find Oliver dressed as if he were heading out himself. He had technically moved in, but he slept out in the living room.

“I wasn’t out _that_ late.” She joked as she sat her purse down and slipped out of her heels.

“I know.” He smiled and patted the empty space next to him on the sofa.

“What’s up?” She asked knowing something was on his mind.

He took a deep breath that he hoped she didn’t notice before turning his head towards her.

“Felicity, there’s something I need to do before we go.”

“Something like what exactly?”

She hoped he wasn’t backing out on her now. She had quit her job at the diner. She had spent most of the day with Roy finishing up with a farewell dinner. It was a tearful goodbye for both of them. Never had she seen the guy cry until she was walking back to her car. He hadn’t tried to talk her out of leaving after she explained why she needed to go. He only warned her, half-jokingly, that Jonas better not break her heart or he’d fly up to New York and “knock the giant out on his ass.”

He had pulled her into a bear hug and she kissed his cheek with tears in her eyes as she waved bye. She promised to text and call him nearly every day and of course come back to visit. He was still her best friend after all.

“I’m not having second thoughts.” He told her. He could see the fear in her eyes. She didn’t try her best to hide it honestly. “I just…I need to see them. I need to say bye too.”

“Your family.”

“Yes,”

“That makes sense.” She replied. “You’re leaving tonight.” She stated, after spotting his bag near the door. She had walked right past it when she came in.

“I’ll meet you in New York. I promise, Felicity. If I leave now, I’ll probably reach them early in the morning. I’ll stay a day and then be on my way. Who knows, I might even get there before you.” He gave her a small smile and hoped the news wouldn’t upset her.

Felicity understood 100%. It didn’t hurt any less to think about them being apart though.

“Okay,” She put her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze. “You better get on the road then.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Did you think I would be?”

His silence was the only answer he gave.

“I’ll see you before you know it.” She pulled him close to her for a hug and kissed his cheek as she pulled away again. “Drive safe.”

“I will.”

She played with her fingers as she followed him to the door.

“I miss you already.” He whispered. Little by little, he expressed his feelings to her more.

“So do I.” She leaned up on her toes to plant another kiss on his stubbled cheek, lingering there for a few seconds, inhaling his scent before stepping back.

“I’ll call you when I get there.” He promised.

“Okay,” She nodded.

She closed the door after he left. The house felt empty. Her heart ached. She wouldn’t throw the door open and run after him though. She wouldn’t insist that she come along. This was something he needed to do alone and she’d respect that. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to finish off her mint chocolate chip ice cream before calling it a night though.

_

Oliver parked his bike and threw his bag over his shoulders as he began to go up the stairs. Taking them one at a time, he tried to gather his thoughts.

He exhaled before ringing the doorbell. It was almost 5 in the morning, but he knew John would be up.

After a few more seconds, the door slowly opened to reveal a tired looking John with a cut above his cheek and a bandaged up hand. He was still dressed he noticed; he must have just come in.

Neither of them spoke initially, anger flashed in the other man’s eyes but he stepped aside and let him come in.

“Hi John,” Oliver said.

“I thought you weren’t coming back.” John walked ahead into the kitchen and Oliver followed him. The light hummed a bit as it flickered on.

“I wasn’t. I’m not.” Oliver replied.

“Beer?” John offered.

“No thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged before taking a swig. “So what’s up man?”

“You know I can’t come back right, John? You know why, don’t you?”

John sat down his bottle and gave him a nod. He understood the pressure on the younger man’s shoulders. He had carried it when he went off to war. He still carried it around today; it was something that never left you. “I just wish you told someone.”

He sounded hurt and rightfully so. John had been his right hand man on and off the streets. He betrayed him too by leaving without a word. “I know. I just had to get out of here. I’m sorry though. I didn’t realize what would happen when I left. Truthfully, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead.”

“I guess you deserved a little selfishness after giving the city your first year back.”

Oliver scoffed. “I gave this city _everything_ I had. Apparently that wasn't enough for it.” He whispered bitterly.

“That’s war, Oliver. You’re going to make some sacrifices. A lot. They’ll be causalities too.” John told him bluntly. He was never one to sugar coat his words. Oliver respected him for it; he’d been coddled enough in the past.

“Shouldn’t have been Tommy though.”

“No, I’m sorry about that. You gotta know his blood isn’t on your hands though. His father sealed his fate, not you. You saved a lot of people. Your mom did too.”

Oliver didn’t want to speak about _her_. She wasn’t a hero. She had hidden behind Malcolm Merlyn until the very end, until it was nearly too late.

“How’s Thea?” He asked, switching the subject. 

“See for yourself. I think she’s back at the mansion now.”

“Think I can crash here tonight?”

“Sure,” John nodded. “The sofa okay?”

“I’ve slept in worse places, John. You know that.” Oliver laughed.

John thought about telling him what was going on in his absence, but he decided against it. Oliver was moving on with his life. He had given more than enough to the city.

He had been pissed when he said he wasn’t returning but given his own experience with war and the toll it took on him, he understood. Oliver needed time. Time to accept his past and heal from it as well.

_

A few hours later, John had given him a hug goodbye, an actual hug, and told him to take care of himself. Oliver bid him the same.

He was now standing in front of the door to his childhood home.

“Here goes nothing,” He said to himself as he knocked. He hoped Raisa was there to let him in.

It wasn’t Raisa who answered the door. It was his younger sister and only sibling, Thea.

“Ollie?” Thea ran into his arms before he could tell her hi. She held onto him as if she was afraid he’d leave again if she let go. He hugged her back, equally as tight. He hadn’t realized just how much he missed her until that very moment.

By the time they broke their embrace, Thea was wiping tears from her eyes and he was trying to prevent his from falling.

“Where the hell have you been?” She asked and smacked him on the arm. _That_ was more like the Speedy he knew.

“I needed to clear my head.”

They went inside, but he didn’t move any further from the living room. Thea turned around when she realized he was no longer following her. She noticed he hadn’t removed his jacket or dropped his bag.

“You’re not staying are you?”

“How much would you hate me if I said no?”

She shook her head as she walked back into the living room, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa. “I can’t ever hate you, Ollie…” She said softly.

“Thank you.” He smiled with relief. He wouldn’t have blamed her. He was still surprised she hadn’t thrown a pillow at him.

“I’m sorry about Tommy. I miss him too.”

“Yeah,” was all Oliver managed to say.

“Ollie, I would have understood if you just told me. You think I don’t want to leave too? You think I like walking around here being Moira Queen’s daughter, the most hated woman in Starling?”

“I wasn’t thinking.” He replied sheepishly. “You know it’s a bad habit of mines.”

“Jerk,” She laughed.

“What’s keeping you here?” He asked.

“I’ve been helping out at the Glades. Running a few charity events at the club even. Verdant is all mines now by the way. I know it won’t make up for the lives lost, but it’s something. I’m doing something and it helps me to deal with everything too…”

“I’m proud of you, Thea.” Oliver replied honestly. His sister had been 12 when he left. When he returned, she was a younger version of him who he wanted so desperately to fix. Because of his _other_ responsibility, he wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to her as he’d have liked.

“Yeah, don’t go getting all mushy on me.” She shrugged him off.

He laughed again before sitting down at last. “What do you say we spend the day together?”

“I’d like that.” Thea nodded, sliding down onto the cushion so she could sit by him. “I’m gonna miss you though.”

“Speedy, I’ll always be there for you. Call me if you ever need anything and I do mean anything.” Oliver kissed the top of her head.

Unlike went she was a kid, she didn’t say ‘ew’ and run off. Instead she leaned her head on his shoulder and turned the TV on.

_

Felicity had landed yesterday. Her first day in the big apple was hectic to say the least. She had nearly missed the driver that Oliver had scheduled to pick her up. She spent almost five minutes looking for the keys he had given her to the loft. She didn’t remember she had put it inside the zipped compartment until she had dumped everything out. And when she tried to turn in for the evening, she just couldn’t sleep.

Earlier today she went to register at the New York institute of technology. _That_ was a process in itself, but she was finally coming back home after being stuck in traffic for God knows how long.

She still couldn’t wrap her head around her new _home_ , the idea still felt foreign to her. It was Oliver’s place, not hers. She felt as though she was staying at a fancy 5-star hotel. It was just too nice, too clean. She would have never thought someone lived there.

She hoped she’d settle in after some time had passed. If she was staying here for a while then it made no sense to constantly feel like a guest, did it?

She had just sat the keys down in a small dish by the door when she saw the sleeping figure on the sofa. It was Oliver. Her mind instantly calmed down, thankful that it wasn’t a stranger. She wanted to wake him up. She wanted to properly greet him with a kiss and ask how everything had gone.

She did none of the above though. She took off her shoes as quietly as she could and sat down in the arm chair across from him.

“This isn’t creepy is it? Watching someone sleep. I mean I’m not _really_ watching him sleep but I am…and I’m talking to myself.” She whispered.

She didn’t tear her eyes away though; she looked on, watching his chest rise and fall. He looked peaceful, she noticed. She remembered the first nightmare he had at her place. She heard him scream and was running into the living room seconds later. She found him tossing and turning with his face twisted in horror.

She yelled at him to wake up. It took a while, but he finally pulled himself out of it. He was disoriented at first, clearly expecting to awake on the island or some other torturous place and not her living room. She had ran a hand over his sweaty face and told him he was safe. She held him and he allowed her to. He then told her about the first nightmare he had when he returned. He had attacked his mother without realizing it but Walter had thankfully gotten him to wake up before he could truly hurt her. He made Felicity promise to not try to physically wake him and she did.

She wondered if he was dreaming now, there was a small turn upwards with his mouth. _Was he smiling in his sleep?_

“I’m not dreaming.” He told her with his eyes still closed.

“Are you sure?” She asked, happy that he was awake.

“I wasn’t sleep either. I woke up when I heard the door open.” He peeled open his eyelids and smiled back at her.

She rolled her eyes at his tricks as she walked over to the sofa he was on. He lifted his head so she could sit down and rested it back down on her lap.

“Hey,”

“Hey yourself.” She rubbed a hand over his prickly face, she liked his facial hair. A lot. It looked good on him.

“Told you I’d come back.” He said looking into her eyes.

“I didn’t doubt you would.” She ran her thumb over his cheek before bending down to kiss him on the forehead.

It felt so right, so _natural_ , to just be with one another. They allowed their guards to come down; they let one another in while they showed their masks to the world.

They weren’t putting a label on anything. They weren’t friends. Technically, if you wanted to call them something, they would be boyfriend and girlfriend. That title didn’t seem to fit them though. They felt like so much more in their short time of knowing one another.

Whatever they were, they were together and ready to continue this journey by one another’s side. Healing and opening up. Living and just being happy. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I also wanted to note that Felicity did have a moment at her mother's grave. She needed to have that small bit of closure before leaving Rosespring.


End file.
